Tinnitus and Other Articles

Tinnitus Is A Symptom Of

It is important to remember that tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease. The initial treatment should be directed toward looking for a medically treatable cause of the tinnitus, as the tinnitus may be a symptom of a more serious disorder. Tinnitus Is A Symptom Of

There are two kinds of tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus is a ringing in your ears that only you can hear. This is the most common type. It can be a symptom of ear problems in your outer, middle or inner ear. It can also be caused by problems with the hearing (auditory) nerves or the part of your brain that interprets nerve signals as sound. Objective tinnitus is when your doctor can hear when he or she does an examination. This is rare and may be caused by a blood vessel problem, an inner ear bone condition or a muscular issue.

There are several auditory conditions that can have tinnitus as a symptom. For many people hearing begins to worsen with age, usually starting around age 60. Loss of hearing can cause tinnitus. The medical term for this type of hearing loss is presbycusis. Earwax protects your ear canal by trapping dirt and slowing the growth of bacteria. However, when too much earwax accumulates it becomes too hard to wash away naturally, causing tinnitus or problems with hearing. The stiffening of the bones in your middle ear may affect your hearing and cause tinnitus. This condition, caused by abnormal bone growth, runs in families. Tinnitus Is A Symptom Of

There are other afflictions that less commonly have tinnitus as a symptom. They include:
i) Meniere’s disease, an inner ear disorder, which is thought to be caused by abnormal inner ear fluid pressure or composition.

ii) Stress and depression are an especially common diagnosis when hearing tests are normal and no other cause of tinnitus can be identified.

iii) Head and neck injuries that cause neurological disorders that affect nerves or brain function linked to hearing. Head or neck injuries generally cause tinnitus in only one ear.

iv) A benign tumor that develops on the cranial nerve, which runs from your brain to your inner ear and controls balance and hearing. It generally causes tinnitus in only one ear.

v) Atherosclerosis, which develops with age and is a buildup of cholesterol and other fatty deposits. It causes major blood vessels close to your middle and inner ear to lose some of their elasticity; the ability to flex or expand slightly with each heartbeat. That causes blood flow to become more forceful and sometimes more turbulent, making it easier for your ear to detect the beats. You can generally hear this type of tinnitus in both ears.

vi) Hypertension and factors that increase blood pressure. Stress, alcohol and caffeine, can make tinnitus more noticeable.

A number of medications may cause or worsen tinnitus. The medications are treatments and, paradoxically, the ailments being treated may not have tinnitus as a symptom, but the medicines can end up causing tinnitus. Generally, the higher the dose of medication you take, the worse tinnitus becomes. Often the unwanted noise disappears when you stop using these drugs. Medications known to cause or worsen tinnitus include antibiotics (chloramphenicol, erythromycin, tetracycline, vancomycin and bleomycin); cancer medications (mechlorethamine and vincristine), diuretics (bumetanide, ethacrynic acid, furosemide); quinine medications used for malaria or other health conditions; malaria medication (chloroquine); and aspirin taken in uncommonly high doses Tinnitus Is A Symptom Of

Tags: Abnormal Bone Growth, Brain Function, Disease, Ear Canal, Ear Fluid, Ear Problems, Earwax, Growth Of Bacteria, Hearing Tests, Initial Treatment, Inner Ear Disorder, Loss Of Hearing, Meniere Disease, Meniere S Disease, Neck Injuries, Nerve Signals, Objective Tinnitus, Ringing In Your Ears, Subjective Tinnitus, Symptom, Tinnitus, Treatable Cause